IFR Student Question: How do I get started in IFR?

I have heard a lot of good things about IFR. I want to begin practicing the method but I'm not sure where to start. Can you tell me what materials I need?

Do I need to read sheet music to understand IFR?

I've heard so many great things about IFR. Is it necessary for me to read sheet music to understand the concepts in your book? I know my major and minor scales and I'm working on my inversions. Is that enough for me to grasp the material in IFR?

IFR Student Question: Am I ready for the IFR jam tracks?

I want to purchase IFR Jam Tracks Level 1 but I don't know if my current level of knowledge is enough to be able to use them. Right now I'm practicing IFR Exercise 2 and I'm in the Seven Worlds exercise. Do I need to go farther or is this enough to start improvising with the jam tracks?

How to pick up tunes and improvise confidently?

I have problems remembering tunes and I want to feel more confident improvising. I want to tell a story rather than just randomly playing what comes to my fingers or thought. I really want to train my ears so I can just pick up a tune instantly and play.

How does IFR address pentatonic scales?

I enjoy the Improvise For Real method very much. Just wanted to ask, with pentatonic scales being so important in music around the world, and particularly loved by guitarists, how can we incorporate them into our practice?

IFR Student Question: What about minor sounds and blues sounds?

If the major scale is the origin of all Western music, then how should we think about songs that are in a minor key, or blues music that doesn't seem to be based on the major scale at all?

Making the leap to improvising with your voice

One of the first "rites of passage" that IFR students experience is the transition from singing scale notes mechanically to singing freely and creating melodies with them. As with most things, it's only the first couple of steps that are difficult. Soon you'll be on your way, composing your own melodies all day long.

How does IFR prepare us for traditional chord symbols?

I notice that at least in the beginning of your method, you don't talk about chord types like major, minor, dominant, diminished. You describe everything only as the "1 chord" the "2 chord", etc. So how will I know how to improvise over songs with chord symbols like "A-7b5"?

How do advanced improvisers use the chord changes in their solos?

I really like your approach to improvisation. I'm curious, how do more advanced jazz improvisers use the chord changes in their solos? If I think first about the chord changes I can do a pretty good solo but I would rather it be more intuitive.